Western diplomatic sources revealed to Al-Sharq that the US administration has decided to implement Plan B in Gaza, following the failure of negotiations on the disarmament of Palestinian factions in the Strip, by starting work in areas controlled by Israel, despite continuing problems related to "funding" and "security."

The sources explained that officials from the US administration held an "unannounced" meeting days ago with the head of the Palestinian Gaza Management Committee, Ali Shaat, and several of its members, which is affiliated with the Peace Council, in Cyprus, noting that during the meeting they discussed "opportunities," "scenarios," and "obstacles."

According to the sources, the meeting concluded that the chances of an agreement between Israel and Hamas regarding "disarmament" and the Israeli withdrawal are "not possible," and thus Plan B becomes the "priority plan."

Pilot Areas and Prefabricated Homes: The new US Plan B stipulates the entry of the Palestinian technocrat committee into "pilot" areas from which Israeli forces withdraw, as well as the entry of international forces and "new" Palestinian police forces established by the committee.

It also stipulates the establishment of new housing clusters, which they bet will be made of "ready-made" mobile homes equipped with solar power generators, roads, and domestic water and sewage pipes.

The plan bets that the projects to establish new housing clusters could provide job opportunities for unemployed workers and professionals in the Gaza Strip, after unemployment in Gaza exceeded 75% of the Strip's population.

The sources told Al-Sharq that the Gaza Management Committee, under the Peace Council chaired by Ali Shaat, has already received applications for joining the police force in the Strip, after opening enrollment earlier.

According to the Western diplomatic sources speaking to Al-Sharq, the US Plan B relies on the acceptance of displaced persons who have lost their homes or been driven out of them to reside in these planned housing clusters.

The sources considered that the idea's proponents are betting that "the harsh reality experienced by the people of the Gaza Strip, especially about a million and a half displaced persons, may leave them no other choice but to accept these (new) areas in search of shelter, water, and work," given that the Gaza Management Committee had previously obtained approval from the Palestinian leadership and Hamas, though the latter expressed "reservations about some committee members."

Washington also bets on Hamas's inability to prevent Palestinians in the Strip from heading to these areas, due to its inability to provide them with alternative housing, food, and work.

According to the Western sources speaking to Al-Sharq, the "trial work" in establishing the new clusters will begin in the devastated city of Rafah, with the hope that schools and hospitals will also be built in these clusters.

Divergence Among Gaza Management Committee Members: Al-Sharq learned that the head of the Gaza Management Committee, Ali Shaat, held a meeting with committee members residing in Cairo after his return from the meeting with American representatives in Cyprus, where he informed them of the new direction of the Peace Council and Washington.

Informed sources told Al-Sharq that a number of committee members expressed reservations about the plan, while others supported it.

Sources close to the opposing members said they have genuine concern about "going ahead with a plan that does not enjoy national consensus," and they seek approval from the main Palestinian political factions before resorting to this option.

Lines and Colors: The sources quoted the committee chair as saying in these meetings that "there is no alternative for the committee but to start work and not wait indefinitely," and that "we must work wherever possible without recognizing the yellow, red, and green lines imposed on the Strip's map at present."

The Gaza ceasefire map introduced several lines to determine the deployment of Israeli forces and areas for the movement of people and goods, where the green line represented areas to which displaced persons were allowed to return, the yellow line represented areas where the Israeli army is deployed, and the red line specified the positioning of Israeli forces with buffer zones.

Israel expanded its control over Gaza lands defined by the yellow line from about 50% to 70%. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to continue occupying more land with the aim of confining Hamas to a small area and then pouncing on it.

Money and Security: The sources said that the main obstacle facing the US Plan B is money and security, as the plan requires, in its early stages, hundreds of millions of dollars, and in later stages, billions of dollars, which necessitates generous donations from countries that themselves face financial problems due to the Iran war.

The US administration seeks to obtain part of the Palestinian customs funds held by the occupation government, which denies the Palestinian Authority access, estimated at about $6 billion stuck in the Israeli Ministry of Finance.

It is expected that the Israeli government will agree to release part of these funds to the Gaza Management Committee and the Peace Council at the US request.

The second problem, according to the sources, lies in the contribution of world countries to the international stability forces. A number of countries have agreed to participate in these forces, but others have made their participation conditional on reaching a clear agreement in Gaza regarding the Israeli withdrawal and "disarmament."

Ongoing Negotiations "Without Results": Talks are taking place in the Egyptian capital Cairo, between mediators and both Hamas and the representative of the Peace Council, Nikolay Mladenov, focused on the issue of arms and Israeli withdrawal.

Although these talks have seen some progress with Hamas's agreement to hand over heavy offensive weapons to the Gaza Management Committee for storage, the Israeli side rejected this offer and insisted on the complete disarmament, including even military uniforms.

The sources rule out any progress before the Israeli elections next October, which will be followed by the formation of a new government that appears unlikely to have a different stance from the current government.

Hamas's Position: Hamas opposes any unilateral plans in Gaza. A Hamas official told Al-Sharq: "We learned about the Cyprus meeting and the US side's intention to implement a unilateral plan to establish so-called 'humanitarian islands,' which is an unrealistic option." He added: "Implementing such a plan requires Palestinian national approval, and this is not possible."

He considered that "the US approach is based on re-engineering Palestinian society through systems that are not compatible with the nature of the Palestinian people in Gaza, whether in education, housing, or economics."

He pointed out that the movement is in contact with various Palestinian factions to reach a "unified national position" on the Gaza plan. He revealed that the movement recently asked Russia to hold a meeting between Fatah and Hamas to discuss the return of the Palestinian Authority to the Gaza Strip to take full charge, expressing the movement's readiness to solve the disarmament problem "within the framework of the Palestinian Authority, which would be responsible for security, finance, education, health, and reconstruction."

He added: "Unfortunately, the Palestinian Authority did not respond to the invitation, because it has its own priorities and considerations."

Reservations of the Palestinian Authority